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In the right corner wearing yellow trunks with a picture of fruit we have the defending Lunch Box Champion, our favorite low sugar juice box!In the left corner wearing red trunks with a cute cow we have the Horizon Organic single serve strawberry milk!

Ding Ding Ding!The Twofer sits down to decide what they want in their lunch box to accompany a Turkey-and-American-on-Wheat.....they both seem to be reaching for the juice box out of habit, BUT WAIT!

They are picking up the milk folks. They SLAM it into their lunchboxes! It's a huge hit for the Horizon Organic milk team!

ScaryMom takes the juice back to the corner to wipe the sweat and puts it back into the fridge.We have a clear winner folks... Horizon Organic single serve milk is the new Lunch Box Champion!In all seriousness though, a big thanks and Twofer Thumbs Up to Mom Centraland Horizon Organic for sponsoring this kitchen showdown and for the samples of single serve milk.

As a ScaryMom I'm thrilled because Horizon Organic means there aren't any of those icky pesticides, hormones, or antibiotics in it. As you can guess, I read one article years ago about all the stuff they give to cattle these days and I went organic for meat and dairy practically overnight. The fact that my kids like it is just the cherry on top!Let me know what you think of the kitchen showdown...I may make it a regular segment.Scary(organic-loving)Mom

Today at one of Yoko Ono's Wish Trees we each took one of the slips of paper (these look ironically like enlarged price tags) and a pencil, and started to jot down our wishes.

When I asked E & E what they wanted to wish for I was, at first, a little disappointed:

"New dolls!""More Webkinz!"

Was I really thinking they'd come up with something like "World Peace" or "No Hunger"? I mean, they have no idea the world they live in isn't peaceful. They've never experienced true hunger.

I've decided that what we wish for really depends on our life experience.And so while their wishes seem shallow, it's a good thing (for now) and means they really have all they need.

It's our job as ScaryMom and Dad to teach them that not everyone is so lucky, and that may just alter what they wish for in the future.

For the record:L settled on "I wish I had a bunny".M chose "I wish I had more dolls. "ScaryMom would like to consult with her dad one last time.ScaryDad offered something unprintable in a family blog such as this!

Twofer Thumbs Up to Yoko and her idea/experiment to keep Lennon's Imagine fresh in our minds, and for making us active participants with Wish Trees all over the world.

As the back-to-school shopping continues, raise the grand total another $80 for sneakers. And I'm actually happy about that!

A long-standing Twofer Thumbs Up to Shoe Train in the Cabin John Mall in Potomac. They carry all the different brands, from narrow to extra-wide and they are great at fitting them. Usually we wait 30 min. to be seen, and then 10 min. to pick out and try on shoes. What can I tell you, my kids know what they like.

Yesterday, we waited only 10 min. to be seen. M was dancing around in her mary-jane sneakers 5 min later, but L...L proceeded to try on pair, after pair, after pair. Is she becoming an indecisive shoe shopper at 5 or did they really ALL feel too tight, too loose, etc.?

We were almost at the point of (gasp) sneakers with shoelaces! And I was making all kinds of comments about her now learning how to tie her shoes.

So I came across this site MyGallons.com and I'm thinking, "Am I too late?"I wish I had come across this when gas was only $3.27 a gallon. You know, waaaaay back in....April.

Basically you buy a membership fee now ($40 annually) and you buy a prepaid card with gallons at today's prices in your local area. So I can't get New Jersey prices if I live in Maryland. Then you use that card to fill up and they deduct from the gallons you've purchased. It's supposed to compensate if you end up at a station that charges less than your locked in rate, and also if you travel to a different area.

I've been collecting my receipts when I fill up. Initially it was to track where the 'cheap' gas was. Now it's like this sad history of the price of gas rising over $1 a gallon in less than 3 months. You know, something to share with the kids when everything runs on solar energy.

I got so panicky that now, even at over $4 a gallon, I've bought into the idea that if I spend that money now, it will save later because the price of gas will only go up.

I know, I know.They are 5. They are testing my limits and that's natural. And part of that test is The Attitude.By The Attitude I mean:1) an increasing use of the word NO2) a decrease in the use of the word Please3) the ability to become blind, deaf and mute when asked to do anything that even resembles a chore

But with twins, they encourage each other to continue the bad behavior....they work together to distract me from what I want them to do...and before I know it, it's a rebellion!

OK, deep breath.It's really not all that bad. I mean, they are girls, not boys. But I feel the urgency to nip it in the bud before they are 16 and stealing the car keys and...well, you know what we all did.

And so I realized I need to turn to the parenting guidebook that gave me the validation, the direction, and let's face it, the backbone to stand up to these half-decade hooligans running wild in my head and in my home.

I discovered this book at my sister-in-law's house. She had picked it up at a friend's house and never returned it. I picked it up at her house and got on Amazon to order a copy faster than you can say "time out". I have since dished advice, the Amazon link, and actual copies of this book to more parents than I can count. My current copy lives at my neighbors house...and I'm heading over there tomorrow to claim my sanity.

Basically, this book reminds me that the best thing I can do for my kids is to set boundaries for them (to push but ultimately respect), let them learn by making their own mistakes, and that sometimes it's ok to say, "Because I say so!"

After a few pages a real sense of peace comes to me and I'm not so scary.